Perfectionism and the Toilet Paper Roll

A friend and colleague who is also my amazing coach, Ann Evanston has a weekly inspiration call. Just 10 minutes on the phone every Monday morning. I never miss it. A couple of weeks ago she was talking about the perils of perfectionism. One of the examples she used helped solve a petty problem I’ve been dealing with since August.

I am one of those people that believes the toilet paper is supposed unroll over the top. I can even tell you how I came to this conclusion. Back in my youth you could buy TP with pretty patterns printed on it. The pattern was printed only on the top layer. If you hung the roll so it unrolled from the back, you didn’t see the pattern on the hangy-downy part. Therefore and obviously (to me anyway) the only right way to hang toilet paper was with the end dangling in the front.

In her recording, Ann teases about how having a fixed opinion regarding how to hang the TP is a sign of perfectionism and how the vertical holder in her bathroom makes the perfectionists crazy because there is no front or back. She’s right. I’ve been there and it does.

So back to my problem. In the bathroom I usually use the TP holder is in an awkward spot. I have to twist around to reach, and usually the sheets tear off short and often in shreds (not particularly useful that way.) For 6 months I’ve been trying to figure out how I can move the holder to a better spot.

After listening to that call and her comments about perfectionism I decided to try something different, something that was ridiculously hard for me to do. I hung the paper backwards. As much as I hate to admit it, making that change solved the problem. It’s still a twist but no more TP shreds. Damn!

You would think that after all this time teaching my Life 3.0 course and working with women on how to live playfully, be open to new ideas, and find ways to make annoying tasks less annoying I would have been able to figure this out on my own. Guess that’s one of the reasons I still have a coach.

By the way, if you could use a dose of inspiration each Monday morning click hereto get the call information. You just might discover the solution to a problem you’ve been living with. Did I mention it’s free?

If you a woman of a “certain age” and you’re ready to create life on your own terms, free yourself from outdated roles, or want to put fun back into your days Life 3.0: 6 Secrets Really Rocking the Rest of Your Life could be just the program you’re looking for. Contact me for more details.

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